Male circumcision.

(Written in 2012)

There is a lot being bandied about at the moment about the unkindest cut – male circumcision – particularly since Germany are attempting to ban it among infants, unless there is a valid medical reason for it. This has the Jewish and Muslim communities up in arms, as they are the two who regularly mutilate their male offspring just after birth on religious grounds. “Mutilate”? A bit harsh? On the contrary – if we cut off any other piece of flesh from our children we would be arrested, and quite rightly charged with child abuse, and no amount of shouting that it had religious significance would make it any less unacceptable.

All the nonsense about babies not being able to feel pain, or remember the trauma of this butchery, is just that – stuff and nonsense, designed to assuage the consciences of those who inflict this horror on a defenceless child. Let males remain intact until they reach an age when they can legally make the circumcision decision for themselves – and then see how many opt for this barbaric procedure voluntarily, if there is no medical grounds for it!

So we are being told that religion dictates that this operation should be done, and that the Bible or Koran (or whatever Holy Book one believes in) says that this is God’s will (whatever form your god takes) – but I am confused here. We are supposed to have been created in God’s image, are we not? This surely means that if we are born with a foreskin, then this is what God intended – the foreskin was part of his human design, so why are we cutting it off? If we were not meant to have it in the original design, surely it would not have been put there in the first place?

If we believe in the ongoing evolution of mankind the argument for circumcision is equally spurious – if we are evolving why has this unnecessary piece of skin not disappeared? The fact that it has remained through all our changes from whatever we started out as to the current human form, surely also means it belongs attached to our penis?

Health reasons. We are now being told that circumcision is the best form of sexually transmitted disease prevention. Oh, really? I would have thought that good hygiene (cleaning yourself!) is better, as is the use of condoms, but maybe we also should not be so promiscuous? Health organisations seem to have given up on promoting the message of safe sex, but are saying get circumcised instead! Hey, this means that I will no longer have to worry about catching any nasty sexual diseases, or protecting myself or my partner with one of those horrible rubber thingies – just get my foreskin cut off and I can be as irresponsible sexually as I like – and you know what, it is medical experts who have told me this!

Similarly there are claims that circumcision reduces the chances of getting urinary tract infections – but statistical data do not fully prove this, as it is impossible to say whether an individual who has already been circumcised would be at risk of infection due to lifestyle, or socio-economic grounds – as these seem more likely to be the cause than the presence or otherwise of the foreskin! It all boils back down to good hygiene practices.

There has been so much written on the subject of circumcision over the years, and this is understandable as men have a lifelong fascination with their penises, and it is so vital to the continued existence of the human race – yes, I know that babies can be made now without the process of copulation, but I don’t believe we will ever totally replace good old fashioned sex as a means of procreation or recreation! Apparently the biggest reason for circumcision is a cultural aspect – though no-one really knows where this non-religious and non-medical reason “tradition” arose from. Some say that it was intended to desensitise the penis and therefore prevent (or reduce) masturbation among young men – this was in the days when it was believed that excessive playing with yourself led to madness! Since then it seems that everyone has been trying to justify reasons for continuing the practice, rather than accept that it is no longer a valid procedure against a defenceless child.

Circumcision cannot be compared to other practices we inflict on our children – like vaccinations, which do have a valid medical argument, or even piercing their ears (something I do not, however, agree with on a small child), as the holes will close if not filled with an earring  – as it is irreversible, and even if the skin is later replaced (I do believe there are doctors who can perform this remedial surgery) it cannot return the loss of sensitivity caused by scarification and hardening of the unprotected skin.

The debate will rage on – but personally I do not believe that parents have the right to decide on a matter such as this. Choose the boy’s food, his clothes, where he gets his education, and so on – but let the man decide if he wants to have his foreskin cut off! Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) gets everyone hot under the collar, but Male Genital Mutilation (circumcision) appears to be acceptable!